Armenian soldiers die in fire blamed on heater lit with petrol

Little was left of the barracks after fire tore through it early on Thursday

Fifteen Armenian servicemen have died and three more were critically injured in a blaze blamed on soldiers trying to light a fire with petrol.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday at a barracks near Armenia's restive eastern border with Azerbaijan.

Initial reports said the fire had been caused by a violation of safety rules.

But Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan revealed later that servicemen had been using petrol to light a stove.

He told a cabinet meeting that preliminary inquiries indicated an attempt had been made to "pour gasoline from a five-litre canister into the heater", Armenpress quoted him as saying.

"Naturally, when there was an open fire, not only the fireplace caught fire but also the gasoline, the fire engulfed the officer who was trying to start the heater, and the officer instinctively threw the canister in the direction of the barracks."

The prime minister also said clear instructions had been issued to the armed forces, banning flammable substances including petrol for heating purposes.

The barracks in the village of Azat is home to military engineers who are part of the Second Army Corps. Armenian reports said the commander had been sacked because of the fire.

Border tensions with Azerbaijan have been high ever since the two countries fought a six-week war in 2020 over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories.

The situation has escalated in recent weeks because the only road into Karabakh has been blockaded by Azerbaijani protesters. The territory is populated by ethnic Armenians, but inside the internationally recognised borders of Azerbaijan.